I can't say what I expected when we came around the corner, but my expectation must've contained the idea of life. Life being noted with lights in the windows, a car in the drive, and food in the kitchen. What is life when there are no people to see? You know it when you see …
Author: mapelba
I'm a writer, artist, teacher, mother, wife, daughter, friend, coffee addict... What else? A success, a failure, a mess, a fan, a hater of housework, a lover of dogs, a liberal, an obsessive, and a bunch of other things that probably would never occur to me. I reveal myself in more ways in my writings and art than in any list of adjectives. And whoever you are, I hope most of all that you are a reader.
out of town and out of her mind
I'm going to visit family and I can feel the pain of being disconnected. At least I'm taking my binder with me. Will write no matter what! But before I go, a big thanks to 7 Impossible Things for featuring my art. Means a great to me. Jules features so much amazing art, I feel …
New year. Old debate.
The New Year begins. I spend every New Year's Eve writing and drinking sparkling wine. What about you? Supposedly I'm not superstitious, but I insist on my pen moving into the new year as if this will make a difference. What am I writing? Popular fiction or literary fiction? Serious fiction or fluff? I'm a …
If you’re supposed to think out of the box, then why do you love The Container Store?
Well, I love The Container Store even as I note how absurd most of it is. I like any office supply store, too. Bookstores. Anything with paper and other square things. But I'm wandering down the wrong aisle, because I read about these white boxes at art fairs where artists sell their stuff. I happen …
What’s that quote about reaching for the stars?
As the clock ticks on to midnight, I write. That's is my one New Year tradition. When the confetti falls and people cheer, I make sure my fingers tap across the keyboard as if this will make a difference. As if the writing gods will hear the tapping over all the other nonsense--noise makers, champagne …
Continue reading What’s that quote about reaching for the stars?
But I don’t want to write about vampire teens…not that there’s anything wrong with that.
I may have nothing worthwhile to say, but literary agent Stephen Barbara does. For all you wannabe bestselling writers, read this. I have been lazy. I need to get back on that query letter horse and ride until the beast collapses. Whining is for vampires.
Calling…
A huge pile of my own fiction sits a few inches away from me. Rows of fiction actually published sits all around me. And I can't think of one worthwhile thing to say. Nonetheless, whatever you celebrate, may your celebration--quiet and alone or crowded and loud or somewhere in-between--be bright.
I hate your work.
The famous sculptor says to the aspiring sculptor his work "is amateurish at best. ...They're not good." The aspiring sculptor falls into despair. Gives up his art. Gets a regular job. Of course, by the end of the sitcom, the worshipped sculptor comes back to admit he was just jealous. The younger man's art is …
SHOUT
Most people were shouting and waving signs. It was a rainy, cold November day and I was standing in front of the Texas White House. I had no sign. I didn't shout. I held my umbrella. One man had a bullhorn. He was tall and thin. Maybe in his 50s. He was part of the …
Can cookies change your life?
I walked into the kitchen on a Saturday afternoon. "Do you want to make cookies?" my mom said. I was 14. "What?" A roll of cookie dough stretched across a cutting board. She tried to look casual. "Well, I've never made cookies for you. And I thought I'd be a good mom and, you know, …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 